Alfred, Lord Tennyson ( Lakindu )
"Tennyson" redirects here. For other people and places named Tennyson, see Tennyson (disambiguation)
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, FRS (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom during much of Queen Victoria's reign and remains one of the most popular poets in the English language.
Tennyson excelled at penning short lyrics, such as "In the Valley of Cauteretz", "Break, Break, Break", "The Charge of the Light Brigade", "Tears, Idle Tears" and "Crossing the Bar". Much of his verse was based on classical mythological themes, such as Ulysses, although In Memoriam A.H.H. was written to commemorate his best friend Arthur Hallam, a fellow poet and fellow student at Trinity College, Cambridge, who was engaged to Tennyson's sister, but died from a brain haemorrhage before they could marry. Tennyson also wrote some notable blank verse including Idylls of the King, "Ulysses," and "Tithonus." During his career, Tennyson attempted drama, but his plays enjoyed little success.
A number of phrases from Tennyson's work have become commonplaces of the English language, including "Nature, red in tooth and claw", "'Tis better to have loved and lost / Than never to have loved at all", "Theirs not to reason why, / Theirs but to do and die", "My strength is as the strength of ten, / Because my heart is pure", "Knowledge comes, but Wisdom lingers", and "The old order changeth, yielding place to new". He is the ninth most frequently quoted writer in the Eagle..
The Eagle
He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ring’d with the azure world, he stands.
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ring’d with the azure world, he stands.
The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt By lakindu Hansaka munasinghe
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt By lakindu Hansaka munasinghe
Corey have you ever watched an eagle catch its prey? I assume you have not, as all the eagles that I have seen will stay high above the earth to the point where they are almost impossible to see with the naked eye. Once the eagle spots its prey it will close its wings and drop so fast the eye has a hard time following. Just as the eagle reaches its prey it will spread its wings, abruptly stopping its descent, and flapping its wings the eagle will rise up from the ground or water with its prey. It is a very unique experience, I grew up not far from a place where eagles nested and often would spend my weekends watching them in a natural setting. The analysis of the poem is good though, and I enjoyed reading it, continue posting literature of this nature. he falls.
Thank you for your comment joe..
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ReplyDeleteAbby Dec 16th, 2011 at 7:30 am
ReplyDeleteThank you, “CinDi Martin” I really like how you described thunder and explained why Tennyson used thunder instead of lightning; “thunder rumbles with strength and falls in the sense of power and strikes fear. Whereas, the falcon strikes with power and quickness, more like a lightning bolt.” I totally agree.
This poem can be interpreted as an old man dying, seeing the better world he is passing into only as a fish views that which is above the water; viewable, but unattainable without death. This can also be taken (semi)literally, that it is an eagle plunging off a cliff. I think if it is an old man dying, he most certainly faces it with ALL the dignity and grace of an eagle.
I must admit, though, that the old man dying was my very first interpretation of this poem.